Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has earned the endorsement of John Lewis, the longtime Georgia congressman and leader in the 1960s civil rights movement. Clinton and Lewis were scheduled to hold a campaign event Friday in Atlanta to discuss the endorsement. "I have looked at all the candidates, and I believe that Hillary Clinton is the best prepared to lead this country at a time when we are in desperate need of strong leadership. She will restore a greater sense of community in America, and reclaim our standing in the world," Lewis said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign.

The endorsement is a setback to Barack Obama, who is seeking to become the first black president and has counted on support from black leaders to spark his candidacy.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in response to Lewis' endorsement of Clinton.

"Barack Obama has great admiration for John Lewis and understands his long relationship with Bill Clinton. He looks forward to his support when Barack Obama is the nominee," Burton said.

The son of sharecroppers, Lewis, 67, rose to fame as one of the "Freedom Riders" promoting civil rights in the South. He was badly beaten by police during a nonviolent civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1961, and still bears scars from the experience.

Lewis also served as director of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, one of the major civil rights organizations of the era. He was elected to Congress in 1986.